15 THINGS A TRAVELER MUST ALWAYS CARRY – FROM A VETERAN BACKPACKER

For a budding traveler or a backpacker, according to the Gen-X terminology, it is always a dilemma to decide what to carry and what not to. Whether traveling alone for the first time or with your friends, novice backpackers often forget essential items and then face troubles on the journey. Backpackers who are traveling for long, often have a checklist of items which they carry along wherever they go. Here is a list of fourteen such items from veteran backpackers for guiding a budding traveler:

1. First-aid Box: While traveling, especially trekking or hiking, the first item you should put inside your backpack is a first aid kit with all the necessary and personalized items. The medications you take must be there, bandages, cotton, adhesive tapes, ointments, and painkillers are mandatory items for this kit.

2. Maps and Navigation items: Traveling alone needs to be much synchronized as you have no support from your close friend or travel buddy. While traveling alone, you need to decide

your own traveling routes, places you want to see and thus keeping a topographic map of the place where you are going to travel is a must.

3. Headlamps: Are you going to trek at night or camp or a night out in the desert, headlamps are necessary. There are many places where you may not find electricity as well, especially while traveling in the interior parts of a country, headlamps are a savior in such situation.

4. Candles and Waterproof Matchsticks: Camping has its own beauty, and while camping you need to arrange for fire otherwise it won’t be a complete experience. So, waterproof matchsticks are one of the best solutions to carry with yourself, and this might help in exploring caves as well which are dark and hollow inside.

5. Money Belt: In a different city, country, if you are pickpocketed, the experience can be worse than you might think of. So, keeping your cash in your wallet which is easily targeted is a bad idea. You must carry money belts in which you can put all your cash and valuable documents like passports so that the chance of theft minimizes.

6. Reusable Bags (Foldable):Foldable bags are useful while traveling and you must not cut this out of your checklist as these bags take little space in your traveling trolley but while sightseeing, you can use these bags to keep all your necessary items for the day like jackets, foods, water, etc.

7. Emergency Blanket and shelter: If you are going by the roads and tired of driving all day, and you want to rest what will you do? For such a situation, a veteran backpacker always carries their sleeping bags, emergency camping equipment, and blankets.

8. Locks: Whether you are traveling by car, train, flights locks are mandatory and even when you are staying in hotels, Travelling Security Administration, or TSA locks are reliable as they can only be opened with a master key which you only have.

9. Traveling Clothes: Clothes for traveling should be according to the place you are traveling. But there are certain necessary items which you always should carry like a scarf – it may be used for covering yourself from cold air in the hilly area as well as the scorching sun in a desert, a pair of track pants for comfortable traveling as well as sweatshirts if traveling to cold places. Thermal wears are mandatory while traveling to the mountains.

10. Traveling shoes: While traveling on the desert, trekking on mountains, you would need a pair of traveling shoes as simple slippers won’t be usable on such roads.

11. Travel Adapters: Wherever you go, you would carry your cell phone and laptop, won’t you? Besides that, there can be an emergency light which you need to charge as well, so a traveling adapter must be there in your backpack with which you can charge or use any electrical item.

12. Travel Insurance: You should also buy travel insurance online to support yourself for any medical emergency while traveling. Travel insurance can be handy in situations where your precautions fail. It’ll offer financial support if you fall ill or need urgent hospitalization. Travel insurance can also support you if you lose your passport or other necessary travel documents. Backpackers would find it easier to buy travel insurance online. It is a quick and simple process which can be handy when you need a quick solution, before staring the trip.

13. Dry Foods: Carrying dry food and fruits is necessary as you might not get your preferred food in all the places you travel. Moreover, while traveling you may not get the food-joints as you get in your city, so carrying few snacks, nuts, and dry sandwiches are a great help.

14. Towels and Toiletries: Your hotel might provide you with shampoo and towel, but it is always good to carry your own set of towels and toiletries while trekking or camping, these are mandatory items which should be in your backpack.

15. Repair Kit: Last but not the least, if you are traveling by car, always carry the repairing toolkit with you as you never know when your car can break down in the middle of nowhere.

There can be many other items, based on your personal needs and destination of travel. Developed cities are more likely to have everything you possibly will need on the trip. However, they could be expensive. In case of medicines, you should check with the customs which medicines are legal and which are not for the country you are travelling to.

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